Parole and Release Planning Checklist: Before the Hearing and the First 90 Days Home

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Parole is a lot of paperwork, phone calls and waiting. Most of it is logistics: an address, ID, a phone, a way to earn, people who'll show up. This free parole and release planning checklist helps you and your family sort those pieces, decide who does what, and check progress week by week.

What you can control is being organized.

How to use this checklist

1. Print it: Put it in a binder or a folder you keep in one place.
2. Pick one family lead: One person keeps the folder and the dates.
3. Check in each week: Tick what's done. Write down what's stuck and who's stuck on it.
4. Send legal questions to the lawyer: If a box raises a legal question, write the question down and send it to the lawyer. Don't guess.

Who does what

Use this as a starting point. Ask each person to confirm their part.

You (the person inside)

- Release plan: Write your own release plan in your own words.

- Program list: Keep a list of the programs, school and work you've done inside, with dates.

- Certificates: Ask staff how to get copies of program certificates.

- Calls: Keep your calls short and practical. No case details on jail calls.

Your family lead

- Folder: Keeps the folder, the calendar and the contact list.

- Address: Confirms the release address with whoever owns or rents it.

- ID: Gathers ID documents and paperwork from home.

- Basics: Lines up the phone, clothes and first-week basics.

The parole officer or institutional staff

- Your contact: Ask who is your contact for the release plan, and how they want information sent.

- What they need: Ask what they need from the family, and by when.

- Dates: Write down every date and instruction they give you.

The lawyer (if you have one)

- Legal questions: Every legal question: the hearing, the conditions, what to submit.

- Filings: Decides what legal paperwork gets filed.

- Your plan: Send them a copy of your plan if they ask for it.

Before the hearing: what to organize

Release address

- A confirmed place to live, with the owner's or tenant's written OK.

- The full address, phone number and the name of the person living there.

- Ask the lawyer or your contact whether any condition could affect who you live with or where.

ID

- List what ID you have and where it is.

- List what's missing: health card, birth certificate, SIN, driver's licence.

- Ask staff whether anything can be started before release.

Phone and contact

- A phone or SIM ready for release day.

- A short list of numbers written on paper, in case the phone fails.

Work or training

- A job lead, a training program or a plan to look, written down with names and dates.

- A letter from an employer or program, if they're willing to give one. Ask the lawyer whether to include it.

Routines

- A written daily plan for the first week home: wakeup, meals, meetings, job search, bed.

Supports

- Names of people who will help, and what each one will do.

- Community supports you plan to use (recovery meetings, faith group, employment centre), with meeting times.

- Any doctor, pharmacy or health appointments you'll need to book.

The first 90 days: conditions tracking

Your conditions are the rules you live by now. Know them cold.

• Written copy: Get a written copy of your conditions. Keep one at home and a photo on your phone.
• Reporting dates: Write every reporting date in a calendar.
• Simple log: Keep a simple log: date, what you did, who you saw for reporting.
• Unsure? Ask: If you don't understand a condition, ask your parole officer or lawyer. Don't guess, and don't ask friends.
• Ask first: If something might cause a problem (a new job site, a move, travel), ask before you do it.

Week-by-week checkpoints

Months before the hearing

- Family lead chosen. Folder started.

- Release address confirmed in writing.

- ID list made. Missing ID listed.

- Program and work list started.

Weeks before the hearing

- Release plan written in your own words.

- Supports listed with names and phone numbers.

- Work or training plan written down.

- Questions for the lawyer sent.

Release week

- Ride home arranged.

- Phone ready. Clothes ready.

- First reporting date written down.

- Property and trust money pickup planned (business hours; ask the institution).

Days 1–7

- Report as instructed.

- Health card, ID and bank steps started.

- Daily plan followed. One win written down each day.

Weeks 2–4

- Work search or training started.

- Support meetings in the calendar and attended.

- Conditions log kept every day.

Weeks 5–8

- Routine steady: same wake time, same meetings.

- Money plan: what comes in, what goes out.

- One setback written down, and what you did next.

Weeks 9–12

- Look back: what's working, what isn't.

- Plan for the next 90 days written down.

- Supports still in place. Gaps listed.

When it gets hard

The first weeks home are tiring. Lineups, forms, people who don't trust you yet. That's normal.

Pick one task a day. Finish it. Write it down. Talk to one person you trust about how you're doing.

How The Unpolished Path can help

The Unpolished Path offers Parole Preparation and The Reintegration Tether, a 90-day bridge after release. We help you get organized and keep the routine. We do not draft or edit any document for a court, tribunal or parole board. The board makes the decision, and legal work stays with your lawyer.

Questions families ask

Can this checklist help someone get parole?

No checklist can do that. Every parole decision belongs to the board, and nothing here can predict or change that. What you can control is being organized.

What should be in place before a parole hearing?

A confirmed release address with the owner's or tenant's written OK, a list of the ID you have and what's missing, a phone ready for release day, a work or training plan, a daily plan for the first week home, and the names of people who will help.

Who should keep the paperwork?

Pick one family lead. That person keeps the folder, the calendar and the contact list.

What if I don't understand a parole condition?

Ask your parole officer or lawyer. Don't guess, and don't ask friends. If something might cause a problem, like a new job site, a move or travel, ask before you do it.

What if the first weeks home feel like too much?

That's normal. Pick one task a day, finish it and write it down. Talk to one person you trust. If you're struggling, call or text 988, day or night. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Need help with this?

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For legal questions, talk to your lawyer.